Russell Martin: ‘It wasn’t just defensive, I thought we were brilliant on the ball’ (despite 1 -0 loss against Manchester City)

Erling Haaland's early goal proved to be the difference on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium, although the Norwegian did spurn further chances to kill the game. Cameron Archer did crack the crossbar on the brink of half-time, denying Saints a point, before Saints kept City at bay in the second half. Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Bernardo Silva heaped praise on Southampton's defensive performance, pointing out the challenges they posed. Martin was also keen to point out what he saw as a positive on-the-ball performance against the reigning Premier League champions.  He told the Daily Echo: "It wasn't just defensive, I thought we were brilliant with the ball. I thought we were fantastic with the ball. Saints boss Russell Martin was frustrated to see yellow against Manchester City (Image: PA) "We defended with the ball as much as we could. The courage to play football was brilliant. "We've done about seven interviews now and we've spoken a lot about the defending, which was brilliant. "The way they defended the box, the guys were stuck at it. But the courage to take the ball and play in the way they wanted to play was amazing, especially after going down 1-0 so early. "This is one of the toughest places to come in the world. I have nothing but pride and gratitude for the players today because if we're going to lose, we need to lose in our way. "It didn't feel like that last week or the week before. So, today I have nothing but pride and positive things to say about the team. "We really hurt them on the ball at times and not many teams do that. If we can take the same mentality and willingness to run and defend in tough moments, then we're going to be fine. "I think it helps that we had Jack and Adam on the pitch today. It really helped. I thought they were both outstanding. It helped the young guys a lot around them. "I think whatever we do tactically with the shape and build-up and all that stuff, just their mentality helps the team."